30-10-2013, 08:14 AM
Educating the youth, especially women, is important in the fight against poverty, says Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Gill Marcus.
“There can be no investment more important than to invest in the education of young people,†said Marcus on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Ruth First Jeppe High School for Girls Memorial Trust event, the governor said given that the odds remained heavily stacked against women, investment in their education could make a significant difference.
“Investment in the education of young women makes a real difference to the individual, the family and society, as educating the girl child is a sure way to break the cycle of poverty and the skills shortage that is spoken about so often.
“Public education of the highest (quality) for all children is critical for democracy to flourish and was integral to the liberation struggle as a lack of education is the greatest exclusion there can be,†she said.
She congratulated the young women who have won scholarships to study at the school. She also congratulated the school through the Ruth First Jeppe Trust on setting an example of how communities can come together to provide education for all, not just the privileged few.
“We need many more of these initiatives so that the ugly shadow of our apartheid history is eliminated from the lives and opportunities of our children.â€
She described Ruth First as not only an activist, academic and a mother, but as someone who had the courage to stand up for what was right.
“These values include non-racialism and non-sexism, a sense of justice and fairness that puts the interests of the poor and ordinary people ahead of self-interest; the commitment and courage to not only stand for what is right, but also to stand against what is wrong,†said Marcus. – SAnews.gov.za
“There can be no investment more important than to invest in the education of young people,†said Marcus on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Ruth First Jeppe High School for Girls Memorial Trust event, the governor said given that the odds remained heavily stacked against women, investment in their education could make a significant difference.
“Investment in the education of young women makes a real difference to the individual, the family and society, as educating the girl child is a sure way to break the cycle of poverty and the skills shortage that is spoken about so often.
“Public education of the highest (quality) for all children is critical for democracy to flourish and was integral to the liberation struggle as a lack of education is the greatest exclusion there can be,†she said.
She congratulated the young women who have won scholarships to study at the school. She also congratulated the school through the Ruth First Jeppe Trust on setting an example of how communities can come together to provide education for all, not just the privileged few.
“We need many more of these initiatives so that the ugly shadow of our apartheid history is eliminated from the lives and opportunities of our children.â€
She described Ruth First as not only an activist, academic and a mother, but as someone who had the courage to stand up for what was right.
“These values include non-racialism and non-sexism, a sense of justice and fairness that puts the interests of the poor and ordinary people ahead of self-interest; the commitment and courage to not only stand for what is right, but also to stand against what is wrong,†said Marcus. – SAnews.gov.za